U.S. renewable fuel prices rose 25% on Wednesday, traders said, after a Bloomberg report stated that the Trump administration has decided to pare exemptions for oil refineries from the nation’s biofuel blending laws. (Reuters)  

– The head of the Illinois Farm Bureau on Wednesday told the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee the China trade agreement is good for the country. That’s in spite of trade war damage to Illinois farmers. (WGLT)

The county crop yield estimates released by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service offer one last telling glimpse of the extreme challenges and a few pleasant surprises that defined the 2019 season. Crop plantings in Illinois last season totaled just 10.5 million acres of corn, down 5% from 2018, and 9.95 million acres of soybeans, down 8%. State yields averaged 181 bushels per acre for corn, down 29 bushels from the 2018 record, and 54 bushels for beans, 9.5 bushels off the previous mark. (FarmWeekNow)

The Illinois Department of Public Health is working with local, state, and federal health partners to take all preventative steps available to limit the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While COVID-19 is not spreading in communities in Illinois or the U.S., there is evidence of community spread in several countries around the world. (Illinois.gov)

President Trump is pressing for another trade win for farmers as his negotiators try to hammer out an agreement with the EU that smashes longstanding restrictions on U.S. farm goods. (Politico)

President Trump’s visit to India includes a state dinner, tens of thousands of cheering onlookers and even a marching band on camels — but a long-awaited trade deal between the United States and India is notably absent. (New York Times)